Dortmund Capitalizes on Bayern’s Misstep in Bundesliga Title Race

In a surprising turn of events, Bayern Munich faced a shocking defeat against Augsburg, allowing Borussia Dortmund to achieve a remarkable feat in the Bundesliga on Saturday evening. With a commanding 3-0 victory over Union Berlin, Dortmund has managed to close the gap on their rivals. As the second half of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season progresses, Dortmund currently sits in second place, eight points behind Bayern.

Dortmund’s goal-scorer, Nico Schlotterbeck, provided an intriguing perspective on the situation.

Bayern’s record-breaking start to the season had many speculating whether the German champions could be among the greatest football teams in history. Under the management of Vincent Kompany, Bayern won their first 16 competitive matches this year, eventually facing a 2-2 draw with Union Berlin on matchday 10. Shortly thereafter, Arsenal handed Kompany’s team their first loss of the season in the Champions League.

Despite a subsequent draw with Mainz, Bayern remained undefeated in the Bundesliga until this weekend. With an astounding aggregate goal differential of 72-16, many believed that no team could challenge them. This Bayern squad was anticipated to be significantly stronger than Xabi Alonso’s undefeated team from the 2023/24 season.

Leverkusen fans rejoiced at the preservation of their record, but Schlotterbeck expressed caution in celebrating too soon.

“Bayern remain Bayern and currently almost unbeatable,” Schlotterbeck stated in his post-match interview with Sky Germany. “However, perhaps they were just a centimeter short today, and we gained three points. Let’s hope the title race remains undecided until March. We aim to sustain our performance for as long as possible.

“And who knows?” he added. “Perhaps they will stumble. They still have to visit us at Signal Iduna Park on match-day 28. If the gap is only four or five points, they might second-guess themselves. We want to be present when they make mistakes.”